Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard (and his family) have decided to do an end around on the normal life cycle of a clothing brand in the action sports space. They’re not going public, they’re not selling out to private equity, and they’re not just shutting it down ala Grubby Clark. Instead, they’re splitting up the $3 billion company into two different entities: first, the Patagonia Purpose Trust, which owns two percent of the companies shares and ALL the voting rights, and second, 98 percent of the shares (and no voting rights) is going to the Holdfast Collective. The “collective” is a non-profit organization that will distribute Patagonia’s future profits to combat climate change, according to a story in The New York Times.
“Hopefully this will influence a new form of capitalism that doesn’t end up with a few rich people and a bunch of poor people,” Mr. Chouinard, 83, said in an exclusive interview. “We are going to give away the maximum amount of money to people who are actively working on saving this planet.” . . . By giving away the bulk of their assets during their lifetime, the Chouinards — Yvon, his wife Malinda, and their two children, Fletcher and Claire, who are both in their 40s — have established themselves as among the most charitable families in the country.
They’ve also saved themselves a boat load of taxes, but who’s counting. It’s a wonderful thing to do. And they still get to run the company as controllers of the Patagonia Purpose Trust. Win win. For all the details, click the link.
It’s been a rough go for the official Olympic snowboarding body US Ski and Snowboarding since allegations of sexual assault within the organization surfaced during the Beijing Olympics in February 2022. Now, USSA Director Jeremy Forester and freeskiing and snowboard head coach Mike Jankowski are gone from the organization as well, according to a story on ESPN.com.
USSS director Jeremy Forster. . . resigned from his position on Aug. 14, and freeskiing and snowboard head coach Mike Jankowski’s position was eliminated on Aug. 15. . . “With Jeremy Forster’s resignation, we are restructuring the freeski and snowboard teams and Mike Jankowski’s position was no longer needed,” USSS said in a statement to ESPN.
Forester had been with USSA for 30 years and Jankowski 19 years.
It’s currently the warmest part of the year in Southern California and maybe that’s why Mountain High is offering their hottest deals on 2022-23 season passes. For SoCal snowboarders there are many reasons to love Mountain High. It’s real. It’s real close. And it’s not part of some super mega resort run by a massive Colorado corporation. Here’s the deal they’re serving up for Labor Day weekend.
Snowy days are on their way and this Labor Day weekend, skiers & snowboarders save up to $350 on 22/23 Season Passes to Mountain High, Southern California’s closest winter resort. Guests who purchase by 9/5 receive a FREE Buddy Ticket worth $129. It’s the best season pass deal in Southern California and pays for itself in just 4 visits. . . “For the cost of a handful of tickets, you can enjoy an entire season of skiing and snowboarding at Mountain High, Southern California’s closest winter resort,” says John McColly, Mountain High Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Ride local and leave the super mega passes for the tourists. For the official details from Mountain High, please follow the jump.
Bloomberg, a company known for running with pretty much any business rumor they blindly stumble into, announced yesterday (August 17, 2022) that Burton Snowboards was looking for a buyer with the following: “The owners of snowboard gear manufacturer Burton are exploring a sale that could value the family-run business at as much as $800 million, people with knowledge of the matter said.”
Oddly, it appears that people with knowledge of the matter may have been a bit mistaken with their information as Burton Snowboards Donna Carpenter imediately set the record straight on IG with the following.
Since the beginning of owning this company, there’s always been rumors about us selling. So many that one year we made t-shirts that said, “Not for sale!” A recent report came out that we’re for sale. It’s 100% bullshit. It was for a nice price, but as I’ve always said, we are family-owned and will remain family-owned.
Wanting to know how much someone would pay for your company and wanting to sell it are often two different things. Not saying anyone was looking around for valuations, but Donna’s message seems pretty clear. That said, with the current state of the world (and weather), it might not be the worst time to take some money from the private equity clowns. Glad to see that isn’t happening just yet.
We’re all soft. We get easily triggered. So it’s nice to see that the Vermont resort formerly known as Suicide Six is changing its name to “Saskadena Six,” a name that celebrates the indigenous people of Vermont, and is more sensitive to mental health issues, according to a story on VT Digger.
“Much time, care and thought has been invested in the process to choose a name more representative of our values, one that celebrates its 86-year history, honors the Abenaki tradition, and will welcome future generations,” Courtney Lowe, president of the Woodstock Inn & Resort, which owns the ski area, said in a statement. “While the name might be changing, the experiences offered on this beloved mountain are not.”
The new name reportedly means “the standing mountain” in the Abenaki language. But how will the new name affect people who can’t stand? And is this simply another appropriation of Indigenous cultures for business gain? If these questions are in your lane, please weigh in.
With Culture Shifters 2022 at Aspen/Snowmass Burton Snowboards is spreading the inclusivity of snowboarding with the help of a few friends and influencers.
Building off the success of last year’s Culture Shifters, @Zeb Powell, Selema Masekela and the #BurtonTeam assembled a new group of legendary athletes, musicians, artists, and cultural icons to celebrate their love for snowboarding and its community.
Looks like a pretty good trip all around. But one question: what happened to all that Gary Rogers footie?
It’s only taken 28 long years, but the Federation International de Ski, the governing body of Olympic snowboarding since 1994, has finally added the word “snowboard” to the official name of their organization.
At the 53rd International Ski Congress, held May 26, 2022 in Milan, Italy, the delegates “approved changing the official name of FIS to include ‘Snowboard’.” The new official name of the organization is the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, however, they don’t want to confuse anyone by adding an “S” to the logo so the acronym will stay the same: FIS. Otherwise, it might look like the logo on the right.
For all the details and more amazing stories from the still inappropriately named 53rd International Ski Congress please click the link.
By clicking the “continue” link at the bottom of this blurb, you will encounter a list of headlines that refer to our topics, namely, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, fashion, and finally, business. Many of these stories have been read by “The Editors,” and many have not.
The list of headlines style is evidence of the slow evolution of this site and The Editors themselves. Snark has been annoying for nearly a decade (deja vu from last month), and The Editors realized there is no longer any reason to restate what other people have written to make it funnier. Few have time for witty nor funny when it slows the speed of information consumption.
Nothing is getting in the way here. Follow the jump and read the list. If there are brands, people, or topics that interest you, please use the search function in your browser and jump to it straight away. Enjoy.
One of the best parts of travel is blasting your hippocampus with a solid stream of new sights, smells, and sounds. Sometimes, however, the sounds can get in the way of properly adjusting to life off the jet in a new time zone. Those times call for the cone of silence. And we’ve found no better way to do that than with Happy Ears ear plugs. They block sound at night, and keep every last drop of the ocean out of our ears while surfing. At only about $17 a pair, it’s not that big of a deal if you happen to lose one (we haven’t yet).
The reason we’re talking about this now is that the Malmo, Sweden based Happy Ears company has just launched a line of new plugs made entirely from post consumer ocean plastics.
Introducing Happy Ears OP; The first reusable earplugs made of ocean plastics! Sourced from post consumer ocean plastics in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans, Happy Ears OP offer the exact same fit and functionality as our Original earplug. Happy Ears OP packaging is made of paper with water based ink making it both recyclable and compostable. So long foam earplugs!
Happy Ears come in three sizes. Order a “discovery pack” for $35, which includes a pair of each size, and then once you find your size, you can order more. We’ve tried a bunch of different ear plugs, and for all-around use in and out of the water (and at concert venues) nothing compares.
It’s been a rough go for the official Olympic snowboarding body US Ski and Snowboarding since 
We’re all soft. We get easily triggered. So it’s nice to see that the Vermont resort formerly known as Suicide Six is changing its name to “
It’s only taken 28 long years, but the 
